Ira Lupu started her ethereal multimedia project on the psychology of online sex work in 2019, when she met Marina Minimaus, who has been camming since the age of 15, in her hometown of Odesa, Ukraine. While getting to know more online sex workers in Ukraine and the US, Ira continued the work, named “On Dreams and Screens”, at the International Center of Photography; and later with the Tbilisi Photo Festival and the Prince Claus Fund. She has photographed her subjects in the places of their childhoods, favorite nature spots, and at home.
Ira Lupu: “Among all the reactions that I received on the project, one was really curious to me. In a comment section on Facebook, some guy from Romania asked, “Wtf is so interesting about cam girls?”. Global lockdowns have strengthened human relationships with the virtual world, and with top celebrities embarking on a pilgrimage to OnlyFans, online sex work has started getting more fetishized media attention than ever so an urge to ask